– #Fukushima I Nuke Accident: Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission Ready to Loosen Already-Loose Radiation Safety Limit for Foods (EX-SKF, June 3, 2011):
The Nuclear Safety Commission headed by Haruki “Detarame (‘Falsehood’; his cute nickname by the irate Japanese citizens)” Madarame has proposed that the Japanese government loosen the provisional safety limits for foods, as the Fukushima nuclear disaster continues.
(Oh by the way, did you know the provisional safety numbers for radioactive materials in foods, milk and drinking water were decided on the basis of 5 millisieverts per year radiation exposure?)
From Mainichi Shinbun Japanese (6/2/2011; emphasis is mine):
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On June 2, the Nuclear Safety Commission under the Cabinet Office indicated the need for revising the provisional safety limits for the radioactive materials in foods and drinking water. Japan’s Food Safety Law does not have the formal safety standards for radioactive materials. After the Fukushima I Nuke Plant accident, the Japanese government has set provisional safety limits for radioactive materials for each food item so that the total radiation [from food and water?] would be below 5 millisieverts per year. This number is the most strict one among the numbers recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) as the government guidelines to restrict the shipment [of the food items]. However, as the Fukushima accident continues, some experts have voiced concern that [these provisional numbers] do not fit the actual situation [i.e. they are too low]. Commissioner Seiji Shiroya spoke in the ad-hoc meeting of the Commission on June 2 that “It is not desirable to use the provisional numbers as if they were set in stone.”